UNPACKING RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDINGS IN TEACHING: CHRISTIAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ NARRATIVES OF CALLING, LOVE, AND RELATIONSHIPS by KIMBERLY REBECCA LOGAN (Under the Direction of Jennifer Hauver James) ABSTRACT This is a study about the intersection of religion and teaching in the lives of four undergraduate pre-service teachers. Surprisingly little research exists on how religious beliefs influence students in teacher education settings, yet many education students identify as religious and feel called to teach. This research contributes to the literature by examining the influence of religion and calling in the lives of Christian women as they complete their student teaching semester at a public university. Narrative inquiry is used to understand the ways these women make sense of the world through the lens of their Christian faith. Their stories reveal the complexity of what calling means and the ways religious understandings influence approaches to students and to the teaching profession. In the end, I argue that the question is not‒if religion matters to teacher education, but how it matters‒and how teacher educators can create spaces to talk about, honor, and yet question and investigate the role of religious understandings to teachers and students. INDEX WORDS: Christian pre-service teachers, Religious belief and teaching, Teacher education, Religious identity, Teaching and calling UNPACKING RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDINGS IN TEACHING: CHRISTIAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ NARRATIVES OF CALLING, LOVE, AND RELATIONSHIPS by KIMBERLY REBECCA LOGAN B.A., Pepperdine University, 1991 M.Ed., University of Georgia, 2004 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2014 © 2014 Kimberly Rebecca Logan All Rights Reserved UNPACKING RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDINGS IN TEACHING: CHRISTIAN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ NARRATIVES OF CALLING, LOVE, AND RELATIONSHIPS by KIMBERLY REBECCA LOGAN Major Professor: Jennifer Hauver James Committee: Todd Dinkelman Ajay Sharma Electronic Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2014 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my parents and to Thomas for your love, support, and patience throughout this process. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “All right, all right, all right!” Matthew McConaughey Academy Award Acceptance Speech, 2014 Since the acknowledgements section seems to be my nerd equivalent of an Oscar acceptance speech, I thought I would begin with that quotation from McConaughey‒as he eloquently summarizes my excitement at this time. Completing my PhD took longer than I expected, and there were many who helped me along the way‒so here we go… First, my parents, Charles and Mildred Logan‒who encouraged me, housed me, tolerated me, and took care of my son on many occasions. I am incredibly grateful and love you both. Without your support, I certainly would not have been able to complete this degree. To my son, Thomas‒who rarely complained when I raced off to a night class or retreated to my room to work. You continuously teach (and entertain) me with your insightful wit and understanding of the world. I love you and am honored to be your Mom. To my friend, Eva‒I have no idea what I would do without you. Thanks for being the perfect audience, tirelessly listening, laughing, and sometimes warring on my behalf. To my undergraduate professor, Michael Gose‒who always believed in my ability as a scholar. You have challenged and supported me for two decades now and make me want to emulate your Obi-Wan ways. v To Jenn James‒for the many conversations that furthered my thinking and helped me understand that there was indeed a study here. Thank you for your patience and time, generous and thoughtful notes, and insightful input. I deeply appreciate your willingness and effort to bring me up and along. To Todd Dinkelman‒taking your classes as a master’s student caused me to believe I had chosen the right scholarly path, and your teaching has had a significant impact (yes, impact) on how I view teacher education. To Ajay Sharma‒for your critical input delivered with appreciated kindness, support, and consideration. To Mardi Schmeichel‒my PhD therapist and guide. Send me your bill. I hope you take student insurance. To all my fellow doctoral students who helped me along the way‒Charles, Brandon, Alex, Joseph, and Shujuan. I am grateful you were there at the start. And to the many faculty and other graduate students I had the privilege to learn from within the department. I have wondered if it is appropriate in this section to also thank God for helping me in this process. If rumbling and rambling constitute prayer, I prayed continuously. And I am grateful for the help, grace, and patience. Finally, to the four women who allowed me into their lives during an incredibly busy time. To Amy, Mary, Sarah, and Olivia‒a big, heartfelt, thank you. I will forever be grateful for your willingness, courage, and kindness in helping me with this work. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 THE STUDY .................................................................................................................1 Goals of the Study....................................................................................................3 Narrative Inquiry......................................................................................................8 The Four Women: Amy, Mary, Sarah, and Olivia ................................................11 Summary................................................................................................................21 2 CONVERSATIONS IN THE LITERATURE.............................................................23 Why Identity Matters .............................................................................................23 The Teacher’s Self and Teacher Education ...........................................................25 Christianity and Teaching......................................................................................35 Unpacking Religious Understandings in Teaching................................................40 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................43 Qualitative Research and the Use of Narrative Inquiry.........................................43 Research Context ...................................................................................................49 Studying Myself.....................................................................................................49 Data Collection ......................................................................................................51 vii Data Analysis and Interpretation ...........................................................................59 Limitations and Considerations .............................................................................64 4 CALLED TO TEACH .................................................................................................67 Amy........................................................................................................................67 Mary.......................................................................................................................71 Sarah ......................................................................................................................74 Olivia......................................................................................................................76 Looking Across......................................................................................................78 Connections to the Literature.................................................................................83 Discussion..............................................................................................................88 Summary................................................................................................................95 5 RELATIONSHIPS AND TEACHING........................................................................96 Amy........................................................................................................................96 Mary.....................................................................................................................100 Sarah ....................................................................................................................105 Olivia....................................................................................................................109 Looking Across....................................................................................................113 Connections to the Literature...............................................................................117 Discussion............................................................................................................123 Summary..............................................................................................................129